Controlling device for motor-vehicles.



No. 809,916. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906. J. C. GALLAGHER.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.5,1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

No. 809,916. PATENTED'JAN. 9, 1906. J. O. GALLAGHER. CONTROLLING DEVICEFOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.'5, 1904.

2 SHEETSSBBET 2.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed November 5, 190 Serial No. 281,511.

To My w/wm it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN CHARLs GALLA- GHER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Elmira, in the county of (lhemung and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ControllingDevices for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the motor-control deviceswhich are carried by the steering-wheel standard in automobiles; and theobject of my improvements is to locate the controlling-rods-such, forinstance, as regulate the admission of gas and air to the cylinders andoperate the spark adjustment-upon the outside of said standard and tocarry said control-rods above the steering-wheel to a position wheretheir operatinglevers may be manipulated without releasing the grip ofthe hands from the wheel.

A further object is to couple the controlrods for the gas and airtogether by an adjustable device, whereby both rods may be actuatedsimultaneously by the manipulation of one lever and so set relatively toone another that the proportion of air and gas to be admitted to thecylinders may be varied and fixed according to the desire of theoperator and as weather conditions require.

I attain my objects by means of the arrangement and location of theseveral parts, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 represents a plan view of a steering-wheel with the controlrods and levers in position; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same withthe wheel broken away to show the standard and the arrangement ofcontrol-rods and their support; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line a{a in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a transverse section on the line 1 y in Fig. 2,and Fig. 5 a plan view of a modilied form of the steeringwheel.

Like numerals represent like parts in the several views.

1 represents the stationary tubular standard which contains thesteering-shaft 2, said shaft being turned in one direction or the otherto steer the wheel by means of the hand-wheel 3. This wheel is attachedto the shaft 2 by means of a hub 1, outside of and surrounding which isa web 5, from which the spokes of the wheel radiate to the raised rim.The web 5 is provided with an annular slot 6, which nearly surrounds thehub, the

wheel being attached to the hub by means of one of the spokes whichpasses across to the hub at 7, said spoke being increased in thicknessat this point to give the necessary strength and support to thesteering-wheel.

At the head of the standard is an upright 8, which passes through theslot 6, the lower end of said upright being secured to the standard bymeans of a collar 9, which may be either brazed to the standard or splitand secured thereto by a bolt, as indicated at 10 in Fig. 3. Thisupright 8 projects a short distance above the hub of the wheel, so as tobring its top surface in line with the rim of the steeringwhcel. Thecontrol-rods 13, 14, and 15 are run up on the outside of the standardand pass through the upright 8, where they are provided withoperating-levers 16, 17, and 18, a segment-plate 12 being secured to theup right below said levers by means of screws which enter sideprojections 11 11, formed on said upright. Levers 16 and 18 are providedwith handles which project out sufliciently to be within the reach of athumb or finger or so as to be readily manipulated without releasing thegrip of the hands upon the steering-wheel. In order that these levers 16and 18 may be retained in their adjusted positions, I provide withineach handle spring-actuated locking-bolts 21, the beveled ends of whichengage the teeth on the segment-plate 12.

The levers 16 and 17 are coupled together by means of a slotted link 19,which is pivotally connected at one end to the lever 16 by means of ashouldered screw, and at the other end is secured to the lever 17 bymeans of a thumb-screw 20. This thumb-screw must be mounted in the leverin such manner as to be free to turn therein after the thumb-nut is setup to hold thelink inits adjusted position upon the lever in order thatthe link may be free to swing as one lever is moved by the other. Bythis means the lever 17 may be adjusted to or from the lever 16, and itwill be evident that if the rod 13 controls the gas admission and therod 14 the air admission by suitably adjusting the lever 17 with respectto the lever 16 more or less air may be admitted in proportion to thegas admission, the two rods 13 and 14 being operated simultaneously bythe manipulation of the one lever 16. In order to admit of a largerrange of adjustment of the levers, I preferably curve the lever 17 so asto permit it to swing around the hub of the lever 16. By thisarrangement I am enabled to place these control-levers in a positionwhere they can be readily manipulated without removing either hand fromthe steeringwheel, and also where their degree of adjustment can bereadily ascertained at a glance by the operator. The width of theupright 8, where it passes through the slot 6, may be made less thanthat illustrated in the drawings by setting the rods 13, 1 and 15 closertogether and the steering-wheel will have allowance for about one-thirdof a turn in each direction from its central position, which will beample if the shaft 2 is coupled to the wheelshifting gear in a suitablemanner.

While I prefer to construct the hand-wheel with a slotted web 5,fromwhich the spokes radiate, I may support the rim of the wheel fromthe hub-spoke 7 by other means, as in the modification illustrated inFig. 5, in which the spokes 22 are shown radiating directly from thespoke 7, leaving a clear space between them for the upright 8, the otherparts of the device remaining the same. I may also provide more or lessof the control-rods, which are thus carried above the steering-wheel,and changes may be made in the form and construction of theoperating-levers and the adjustable connection between the air and gascontrols without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as my invention andvdesire to secure by Letters Patent is-*' 1. The combination, with a.steering shaft and wheel, of a tubular standard through which the shaftpasses and a revoluble controlrod mounted upon the standard at one sideand projecting above 'the hub of the steeringwheel.

2. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of a tubularstandard through which the shaft passes, an extension rising from thestandard through an opening provided therefor in the wheel adjacent tothe hub, a control-rod mounted at one side of the standard and passingthrough said extension,

and means for operating said rod secured thereto above the extension.

3. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of. a tubularstandard through which the shaft passes, an extension rising from thestandard through an annular slot provided therefor in the wheel aroundthe hub, a control-rod mounted at one side of the standard and passingthrough said extension, and means for operating said rod secured theretoabove the extension.

4. The combination, with a steering shaft and Wheel, of a tubularstandard through which the shaft passes, an extension rising from thestandard through an opening around the wheel-hub, a revolublecontrol-rod passing through the extension, a lever for operating saidrod, a toothed segment attached to the extension, and a spring-actuatedlocking-pin on the lever, to engage the segment.

5. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of a tubularstandard for the shaft, revoluble control-rods mounted on the standard,levers for operating said rods, and an adjustable link connectionbetween said levers.

6. The combinations, with revoluble control-rods, of an adjustableconnection between the rods, whereby they may be set at'differentangular positions relatively to one another and both operatedsimultaneously.

7. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of a tubularstandard for the shaft, one or more revoluble control-rods mountedparallel with and outside the standard, said rods passing up through anopening provided therefor in the steering-wheel, and a lever or leversfor operating said rod or rods in line with and projecting out towardthe rim of the wheel for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my sig nature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN CHARLS GALLAGHER.

WVitnesses:

JOHN F. Ross, JAMES H. PARIS.

